When I converted my rig to 4wd, my donor (wrecked) was a '97 w/ around 90k on the clock, so my transfercase, transmission, & both axles have less than 100k on them but I sold the motor and my jeep has 185k on the clock so I want to get a junkyard motor and start a stroker project on my spare time. what years should I look for and does it matter the condition? also, for the stroker kit I see all the different options like 4.6, 4.7, 4.9, & 5.0 ... what is/are the deciding factor(s) when trying to decide which kit? will the AW4 hold up just fine to a stroker? would it be better and/or cheaper to buy all the parts separate as apposed to the whole kit? what all do I need to do to prepare the block & whatever. any other advise would be greatly appreciated. thanks

How mutch do you want to spend??? Also you have to do alot of reaserch to get the right setup for what you want to do with it. Basicly any year 4.0 will work. Ive heard the older 87-90 blocks had a better metal used and that the cly walls are sometimes thicker. But I cant confirm that. 96 up however where beefed up mostly for the NVH updates chrylser made to make a quiter smoother engine. But Unless your pushing crazy power it wont really matter.. I Am currently wrapping up my stroker combo it's a 4.6 87 block 90 head ported, bored tb and im running a header. I could get more power by going with a ho head but it was allredy redone a year ago and I had the tb and header so I figured screw it. Your main issue is going to be compression ratio and Quench height do lower your compression raito o run Reg gas your probbaly going to have to dish your pistons and deck the block a little to get a better quench height. Go over the street/performance section and NAXJA and talk to Dino he also has a good website you can google Jeep stroker.

A 87-90 engine or a 96-97 engine is the best for rebuilding into a stroker. A 96/97 would be better for you since it would drop right in. In 98+ engines the exhaust ports are smaller for emissions. The condition doesn't really matter that much, but a better one will save you money in machine shop work. Just look to make sure the Jeep isn't in the junkyard because of a serious engine failure. (i.e. make sure the oil isn't pitch black, no water in oil, or obvious signs of damage)

The displacement of the engine 4.5L-4.7L depends on how much you have your cylinders bored. I chose to lease amount of overbore to restore the cylinders, so when it comes time to rebuild it again many years later, I can use the same block. and have it bored again if needed.

If there's anything more I can help you with, feel free to PM me. I could type like 3 pages of information/options. I also have a whole bunch of extra new/rebuilt engine parts.